Lining for fruit baskets



June 6, 1933. R, L STEELE, 353 1,912,550

LINING FOR FRUIT BASKETS Filed Aug. 19, 1931 23 20 25' za' %WZ.Ira-45,17

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 6, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT since ROBERT L. STEELE, 3D,OF ROGKINGHAM, NORTH CAROLINA LINING FOR FRUIT BASKETS Application filedAugust 19, 1931. Serial No. 557,964.

This invention relates to a lining for fruit and before the fruit backetis slipped therebaskets and the like which comprises a lining over.member having the wall portion and the bot- Referring more specificallyto the drawtom portion integrahthe bottom being formed ing, the liningmember comprises a strip of 5 of a plurality of flaps extending from thematerial which is joined as at 11 to form sidewall portion so that whenthe flaps are a continuous lining member for protecting folded inposition, a bottom member is the fruit from the sidewalls of the basketformed for the lining member for the fruit during the shippingoperation. The portion ba k t f r hi i th f it, 10 has, in. the formshown, six triangular H 10 Heretofore, lining members have beenproshaped flaps or tabs integral therewith and 69 vided for fruitbaskets in which the sidewall ted by reference characters 13, 1 1-, 15,members and the bottom members are sep- 16,17 and 18. arate from eachother, resulting in a loss of The flaps, as well as the sidewallportions, time in the packing operation and also caushave p rality 0fperforations 19 therein 15 ing various inconveniences such as the eX-olventllat P P haustion of supply of bottom members and Ill g' 2 aflonventlOnal llnger 20 is thus t i th ki Operation t a ti shown havingthe rim portion 21 and a pluralwhen the fruit must be packed in greatquany P Chchhtr growth/S22 t hpt of the tities, but by providing thebottom member l 23 to ge 1i3 1Il ll gs within the lin- 20 d id fl i onepiece, it i id t th t a ing member lO which is placed within the cirl tli i member i id d t l cular rim portion 21 and the flaps 13 to 18 are fth id ll ti f th b k t b t folded outwardly according to the dotted linel f th b tt th f position shown in Flgure 3 and the fruit is It is anbject of bl is invention, therefore packefl tllerein and flftelitllefruit! is packed 25 t id a li i member f f it b k t therein the flaps 13to 18 inclusive are folded comprising a sidewall portion and bottom tothe llositihh Shown in Figure 31 then portion made integral with eachother, with the basket pp t Over the hh lhelh th b tt ti b i i th f f a1 her containlng the fru t to the position shown rahty of foldahh,members adapted to he in Figure 2 and the entire basket, lining me n- 0opened outwardly during the packing operaa th finger turned 1 9 i111tion and to be folded inwardly to form a bot vetted Posltloh m thatShOWh h Flgth'e 2 tom member after the packing Operation has whichcauses the fruit and the lining member been completed and before thebasket is to sink downwardly into the basket to fill up serted Over thelining member. the space 26 as shown in F gure 2 and in this M s of theObjects of the invention having poslition, the conventional 11d issecured on the 80 been stated, other objects will appear as the a andthe ehtll'e P g 1S ready description proceeds when taken in connec-Shlppmg' w i With the accompanying. drawing Show The advantage of thisarrangement is that f d b b 1t permits the lining member tobe integral40 mgapre erre em 0c iment of the invention, with the flm 1 h b I b1hich L 1 s anc salt aps em capa e 111 of being folded outwardly for thepacking Flgure 1 1S a R r.SPect1Ve new of the upper operation and beingfolded inwardly to the portlon of my t member and Showlng position shownin Figure 3 for the placing the hottom h h partmuyhnfoldecli of theshipping basket thereover.

45 Flghre 2 13 it VleW P y 1h elevhtloh and It is true that the drawingshows the upp y in Cross Section and taken along the per portion of thelining member hexagonal line in Figure 3 With the lOaSket Omltted inshape but it is evident that the lower porin Figure3; tion of the liningmember will be circular Figure 3 is a top plan view of the lining andwhen the entire liner is packed full of p 50 member with the bottom infolded position fruit, the straight sidewall portion as appearing inFigure 3 will bulge outwardly to cause the upper portion of the liningmember to fit against the inside of the basket.

In the drawing and specification, there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employedthey are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth inthe appended claim.

I claim:

In a liner for fruit baskets, and the like consisting of a weak endlesswall, said wall initially possessing sufiicient strength to hold thefruit without any outside support but of suilicient weakness to renderit capable of yielding to compensate for irregularities in the sidewallsof the basket, said liner having one end open and a closed end of lessdimensions than the open end, the closure means for said closed endcomprising a plurality of triangular portions having one side thereofintegral with the liner, the open end of the liner being adapted to reston a ringer during the packing operation and the triangular portionsbeing spread apart during the packing operation, said triangularportions being foldable over the fruit to form a bottom for the linerwhen an inverted shipping basket is placed over the liner, the base ofeach triangular portion in association with the side wall to which it isjoined serving to form a pocket between the sidewall and the basket toresiliently support the contents of the basket.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT L. STEELE, III.

